Leak Down Test on a used 2010 Acura MDX 3.7L Engine

Hi all,
I'm not sure where to go with this one so I'm asking the experts. I'm not a professional mechanic I work from home helping my kids out mostly.
My daughter has an Acura described in the subject line. Burned oil like crazy and finely after 200,000 miles it blew a hole in one of the no.2 exhaust valves.
We decided to replace the engine with a used one. After finding one that supposedly has 60,000 miles on it we decided to buy it.
After getting it home the first thing I did was a cylinder leak down test. I removed the valve covers so that I would make sure none of the valves were being held open.
all of the cylinders held pressure real good except for no.2. it's leaking from the exhaust and intake ports.the gauge was in the red zone.
I contacted the person that sold the engine and told him the results of the test. his response was when they tested the engine it ran perfectly and then it sat for a month.
He said for an accurate test the engine needs to be ran and then check it. I don't know what to do from here. Should I install the engine and hope it recovers ? Does his explanation
make since? Or should I send it back? One thing to note is the valve lash in the rocker arms didn't feel excessive which means none of the valves were hanging open.
thanks for any advice,
Dennis Brock









 

That's a tough call and I, certainly, understand your concern. I would insert an articulating borescope in through the spark plug hole and take a peak at the valves from inside the cylinder. I realize that you probably do not have an articulating borescope, and they are a bit pricey to purchase. Removing the intake and exhaust manifolds to try to gain a peek at the topside of the valves may, or may not, be fruitful. 

Did the seller of the engine offer a warranty that covers labor? If so, I'd install the engine and hope for the best. If not, I would ask the seller what he would be willing to do if there does turn out to be a problem. I would want to be compensated for wasting my time installing and uninstalling a bad engine. 

I wish I had some better advice or a workable solution but, I don't. You may have to go with your gut about what type of person the seller is. It's hard to believe that someone would knowingly sell a bad engine, and if they said that it was a good running engine when it was pulled, you may just have to take their word for it and keep your fingers crossed. 

Good luck!


 

Thank you for your reply. I do have an articulating bore scope and it doesn't show anything bad that I can detect. That's why I'm on the fence on this one. He does give me a year warranty on the engine without any labor compensation. Thanks a lot for your input, I really appreciate it.